DeepSeek Developing Custom AI Chip to Reduce Nvidia Dependence

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is developing a proprietary inference chip to cut reliance on Nvidia and Huawei hardware, Reuters reports. The effort, still early, runs in parallel with a potential 50 billion yuan funding round backed by Tencent and CATL. DeepSeek has yet to disclose a foundry partner, prototype details, or performance metrics.